Should Have, Could Have, Would Have
by Nightmares-Of-Quirk
Summary: Yes, regret was indeed a pretty constant thing in his life.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Alrighty, so this is going to evolve into a three-shot that takes place shortly after Zuko decides to join the Gaang and fight against his father. It's rated T for possible innuendos and swearing that may or may not appear. Just in case. I guess I should also include that I do not own any Avatar characters or the actual show, even though that's pretty obvious. Anywho, enjoy this first chapter. :)

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**1. Should Have**

He should have never betrayed her back in Ba Sing Se. He realizes this as he watches her angrily practice her bending after they have just had yet another heated argument. She sends one of her icy water whips slashing at the trunk of the tree, and he knows full well that she's imagining _him_ as the target. He should have stayed with her, fought with her, and protected her in the battle against his sister, while she fought for and protected the Avatar in turn. He should have, but he didn't.

The more he thinks about it, and he thinks about it a lot, he should have never tied her to a tree in order to use her as bait for the Avatar. He can still remember Iroh's wise (and embarrassing) reprimand, "Now, Zuko... Tying a woman to a tree under the _right_ circumstances is all fine and good, however, doing so only to capture one of her friends is no way to win her over." He was right, though. About that not being any way to win her heart, of course. He should have never taunted her about her mother's necklace. He should have just given it back and let her go. He should have, but he didn't.

Actually, looking back on it, he probably should have never been so cruel to her people when his ship arrived at the Southern Water Tribe. He should have never threatened her grandmother's life. He should have never frightened her friends and family. He should have told her how strikingly beautiful he found her as soon as he laid eyes on her (because even then he was aware of her attractiveness), instead of letting his uncontrollable rage get the best of him. He should have, but he didn't.

There were so many things he should have done, but hadn't, and things he should have never done, but did. And he knows this is why she refuses to speak to him first. This is why she refuses to meet his eyes over the fire at dinner, but will gaze fondly at anyone else in the group as they all chatter away and eat. This is why, when they stop to train for a couple of hours, she's willing to spar with him if no one else is available, but absolutely refuses to go easy on him as she would if she were practicing with Toph or Aang. This is why she has accepted that he's become part of their crowd, but still refuses to truly welcome him into her life.

He doesn't blame her for her hatred and disdain. He does become frustrated at times, though, because she can't see that he's changed. She can't see the change of heart that has taken place in him. She can't see the regret that he feels for all of his wrongdoings. Or maybe she does, and just continues to give him the cold shoulder out of spite. He can't blame her for that, either, as unfair as it is. He'd hate the person who was hunting him down for countless months, too, if he was in her shoes, no matter how many times they apologized.

But still, with each passing day, his heartache grows worse. He isn't sure when exactly he started pining for her; doesn't remember when he developed these strange, foreign feelings of longing and yearning. All he knows is that his affections will never be returned unless he proves himself worthy of reciprocation. The thing is, he doesn't have any ideas on how he should do that.

Regret is a pretty constant thing in his life. He regrets a lot of things he has done, as well as not taking his chances with things that he should have. He regrets almost everything, because all of his faults and mistakes are the reasons why she refuses to give him the time of day.


	2. Chapter 2

**2. Could Have**

It has been about three weeks since he broodingly watched her practice her bending, and two since they made the journey to find the man who took her mother's life. In the end, she couldn't kill him. She was far too compassionate and merciful to accomplish such a horrendous feat. At the time, he'd been completely baffled. They had come so far, only for her to turn around and walk away when the opportunity for revenge finally presented itself. He certainly couldn't have done that, had his own mother's murderer sat quivering in the rain before him. But he supposes that is one of the major differences between the two of them; he could stand to inflict careless ruthlessness on anyone who wronged him, whereas she could not.

Although she hasn't exactly warmed up to him yet, he _has_ noticed a change in her attitude towards him ever since they returned from their little adventure. She could have completely exploded on him as soon as they set foot back on camp. She could have taken out all her pent up feelings of frustration, loss, and anger on him, right then and there. She could have accused him of bringing back painful memories from her past by taking her on that pointless trip. She could have, but she didn't. And he can not, for the life of him, figure out why.

While Toph coaches Aang on his Earthbending in a small clearing a short distance away and Sokka dutifully sharpens his boomerang and blades atop Appa's saddle, he decides to make a move. Katara has been struggling to build a fire over which to cook the evening soup for about half an hour, and of course, she has been too stubborn to ask for a little assistance. With a small, nervous sigh, he stands up and walks over to her.

"Hey, um, you look like you could use a little help."

Her head snaps up quickly, her eyes slightly widened in surprise. His eyebrow quirks and the beginnings of a smirk appear at the corner of his mouth.

"Um, sorry. What?"

"You look like you can use some help. May I?" He holds out his hand and a small flame springs to life in his palm. She draws back slightly and blinks before nodding. He kneels down beside her and runs his hand along one of the logs, engulfing the pile of wood in a calm, glowing blaze.

She stares at the mixture of orange and gold for a moment before glancing back at him. "Thank you," she murmurs with a small smile. He turns to meet her eyes and smiles back at her, relieved that she didn't push him away or berate him for bringing his dangerous, destructive element so close to her. She could have, but she didn't.

"And I don't just mean for lighting the fire," she continues. "Thank you... For coming with me. I actually gained some closure from that trip, and it was all because of you. So thank you, Zuko. It meant a lot."

He stares at her, slightly bewildered and wondering if this moment that they're sharing is actually happening. A strand of dark brown hair lightly floats down in her face, and as the skin of his hand brushes against her cheek while he gently tucks it behind her ear, he notices that she's blushing. Her blue eyes widen in slight surprise, and a small gasp escapes her lips. As if she's realized that the mask of indifference that she's been trying to hold up has been breached, she breaks eye contact, stands, and turns away from him.

"The soup will be ready in twenty minutes," she says coolly as she stalks away.

He sighs and leans back against the large log that they've been using as a sort of bench. He'd been so close, so very close. He could have kissed her, but he didn't.

Regret was a pretty constant thing in his life.


End file.
